Usher and his sons launch "Carversations" - Instagram's new push for teen online safety
As debates over tech regulation, content moderation, and algorithmic transparency reshape the social media landscape — and as Georgia rapidly grows into a major tech-and-data powerhouse - Instagram is trying something new: putting families at the center of the conversation.
The platform's new "Carversations" series launched in Atlanta with Usher and his sons, using candid dialogue and humor to explore how parents and teens are navigating an online world that is evolving faster than the rules that govern it.
In an intimate, funny, and heartfelt Q&A following the launch, Usher and his sons Cinco and Naviyd shared what family connection looks like in 2025, from unplugged vacations to navigating social media together.
Usher and his sons open up about parenting, social media, and growing up in new "Carversations" series
Usher is used to being the one in the spotlight but during Instagram's launch of "Carversations," the R&B icon shifted into a different role: dad trying to keep up with two teenagers who are very much growing into their own.
Sitting side-by-side for the first episode of the new series, Usher and his sons Cinco and Naviyd opened up about parenting, digital life, and what it means to grow up inside — and outside — one of music's most recognizable families.
"How does it feel to have a father like yours?"
The conversation began with a moment of disbelief from the hosts: at 17, Cinco is almost 18 — and, as they teased him, "almost gone."
Asked what it feels like to grow up with Usher as a father, Cinco didn't lean into the celebrity angle. Instead, he framed their relationship in simple terms: "I view it in that way — as a father."
The room laughed, but that grounding answer set the tone for the entire conversation.
Naviyd — described jokingly as having "the name and the face" — shared the family traditions he loves most: their annual trips to the islands and the intentional time away from everything.
"Those are the most important times for us," Usher said. "We unplug. We're away. We get to talk about things we need to talk about."
Balancing fatherhood, fame, and two very different teens
As both boys forge their own paths — including Naviyd's early music ambitions and Cinco's evolving fashion phases — Usher said his biggest challenge is balancing support with space. "As hard as it is, the most important thing for me is to be the father to my kids that my father wasn't to me," he said.
He admitted he sometimes "annoys" his sons by trying to spend more time together than they want. Cinco didn't disagree. "He is pretty weird," he joked, sending the room into laughter.
But the humor was layered with appreciation. Usher described their dynamic as a necessary coexistence between structure and learning:"We work hard to be examples to our kids. But more than anything, we're trying to learn from them too… not letting the trauma of our past determine how they turn out," Usher said.
Then he added one of the most powerful lines of the night — a phrase he says guides how he parents his sons: "When you're born, you look like your parents. When you die, you look like your decisions."
Parenting Gen Z in a digital world
The Q&A naturally moved to social media — and the generational gap that comes with it. Usher confessed he's still getting used to being online regularly.
He used to think fans wanted the polished version of his life — the show, the art, the production. Recently, he said, he realized the opposite is true.
"What I was trying to sell them wasn't as valuable as just getting to know me and my kids," he said.
Whether it's videos of Naviyd searching for cherries or Cinco creating challenges, Usher said those small family moments have become the most meaningful content he shares.
When asked what fathers need to understand about teens and social media today, Cinco gave perhaps the most teenage answer possible: "Honestly, I feel that there's not much you really need to know."
A beat later, he clarified — kindly. The hosts pressed: should parents just stay out of the way?
He smiled: "I got it."
"I want to understand it." Naviyd on the pressures of making music
Naviyd also used the "Carversations" moment to open up about his creative journey — one that's far more introspective than many expected.
"It's been good so far. I'm figuring out where I want to go and how I want to go about it," he said.
"I spend a lot of time criticizing myself… maybe because I'm a perfectionist."
Asked where that perfectionism comes from, he quickly joked:
"Not him." But he added that he wants his music to have purpose — something deeper than just tracks on a playlist.
In terms of what he's listening to, he described himself as a "melting pot" of genres, from R&B to hip-hop to "old rap."
The hosts pushed him on what "old" means, and he clarified fast. "Not too old — those songs be long."
He named Biggie and Outkast as two staples. Cinco echoed him: "I listen to literally everything."
A village — and a moment of transition
Usher grew more reflective as the conversation neared the end.
He talked about raising his sons alongside their mother, grandmother, uncle, and the larger "village" surrounding them.
Now, with one son about to head to college, he said this phase of life is both emotional and rewarding:
"It's the best time of my life… everything I've shown them, everything I've invested in them — it's going to mature."
The "Carversations" team closed by noting that the episode is available now on Meta, giving fans a rare window into the Raymond family's humor, honesty, and heart.
For Usher, the superstar image may draw people in. But it's moments like this — a dad negotiating curfews, teens teasing their father, a family figuring it out together — that reveal what the artist values most.